Recipe inspired by the book Jenny previously posted about

So, people think Jenny’s obsessed (see “Born To Run” post)? Well, I’m a lot like Jenny in that respect. I listened to that book on mp3 after she told me about it and loved it! The Tarahumara rarely get ill, have almost superhuman stamina, are happy and healthy? Hey, I’m thinking it’s possible that it is the Chia Seeds and Pinole that they talk about in the book that are doing all that good!

As a matter of fact, Chia seeds are thought to be extremely healthy and and are becoming popular in the health community. According to TheChiaSeed.com, they are “one of the most powerful, functional, and nutritious superfoods in the world!” They say here’s why: they contain more Omega-3s than Atlantic Salmon, more Antioxidants than fresh blueberries, more Fiber than bran flakes, more Calcium than 2% milk and more protein, more Fiber & Calcium than flax seed. Furthermore, they supposedly reduce cravings, are easily digestible and can be mixed in nearly any food/drink. Just add them to your normal foods like cereal, yogurt, salad, baked recipes (pancakes, muffins, cookies, cakes), cottage cheese, soup, PB&J sandwiches, oatmeal, salsa, dips and smoothies. Heck, they even say Dr. Oz loves ’em. How can you go wrong?!

I got mine from VitaminWorld.com. If you sign up for their newsletter, they’ll send you some great coupons!

So, I went online searching for a recipe for it and only came across one. Now, I do appreciate their base recipe and photos, but I have to admit that the first batch I made according to the recipe barely tasted edible – to me at least. So, I tweaked the recipe! And after I made the second batch of “Snackable Pinole” I brought some in for my friends Jenny and Kevin to taste.

At first they just looked at me oddly, with their eyebrows raised. But after tasting one each, the taste/texture sort of grew on them. As a matter of fact, at the end of the workday, they were scheduled to run, and Kevin couldn’t find anything in the lunch room for energy. I said, “I still have some Pinole!” with a wink, and Kevin took the rest of the bag like it was filled with candy.

So, here is my recipe. Maybe it will give YOU superhuman endurance too.

It makes about 24 small “snack-sized biscuits”:

1/2 cup ground cornmeal (I used yellow cornmeal)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp Organic Raw Blue Agave Sweetener

2 oz. Chia Seeds

1/2 cup water

Toast cornmeal alone in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring often until it turns light brown. It takes about 5 minutes, but it seems like it’s not doing anything and then it begins smoking a bit and smells a little like popcorn. That’s how you know it’s done.

Transfer to a bowl. Mix in cinnamon, sweetener Chia seeds and just short of 1/2 cup water. Stir and mash together well until it becomes like a dryish oatmeal consistency.

Roll the mixture into quarter-sized balls with your hands. (If it’s too dry, it will just crumble apart, if it’s too wet, the water will squish through your fingers). Place on lightly sprayed baking sheet and press it somewhat flat. (Almost the size of a cap from a water-bottle.)

Bake the small biscuits at 375° Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Flip each one over and bake for another 2 – 3 minutes.

Take out of oven and immediately sprinkle lightly with a little more cinnamon (I think this step is the secret to making them taste a lot better). Cool and eat!

Not regular corn meal or corn flour. It has to be masa corn flour! This is what is used to make tortillas or tamales. Find it cheap in huge bags at your local Hispanic grocery. What’s the difference? With regular corn flour, the corn is simply dried and ground up. With masa corn flour, the corn is dried, boiled in lime water (made with powdered seashells or limestone or hardwood ashes), then it’s dried again and finally ground up. This “nixtamalizes” the corn and is the whole secret. It’s like the difference between regular and sprouted grains. Huge nutritional change.